Spring-tire for motor-vehicles.



E. E. ROUSE.

SPRING TIRE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16. 1914 Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

#IHE NYORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHING YQNv C.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnion.

ERNEST EDWARD HOUSE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SPRING-TIRE FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST EDWARD Rouse, residing at 37 Queen VictoriaStreet,

London, E. (3., England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in spring-Tires for Motor-Vehicles; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in, the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved spring tire for vehicle wheels,and has for its object inter alia, to provide a resilient tread. Thisobject is secured by elastically suspending a flexible and laminatedcircumferential spring band adapted to carry a plurality of equi-spacedtreads that are housed in rigid engagement with the band, the suspensionof said band being such that driving or lateral strains are absorbed bythe suspending device, and lateral movement that otherwise might bedestructive is taken by rigid felly flanges. \Vhile there are severalmethods whereby these improvements can find constructional expression,the preferred arrangement is shown in the accompanying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a part elevation of a wheel constructed in accordance withthe invention, Fig. 2 is a cross section on line A. B. Fig. 1 to anenlarged scale, Fig. 3 is a section of the flexible band housing andtread parts in a plane with the wheel periphery, Fig. 4 shows detail oftread housings, Fig. 5 shows detail of one form of lamination, Fig. 6shows an alternative form of lamination.

In the drawings, a wooden wheel 1, or metal wheel of the Sankey type, isprovided with a felly 2. Disposed on such felly, are detachable fellyflanges 3, 3 one of said parts 3 being provided with an engaging flange4, recessed into the substance of the inner flange of felly flange 3.The felly flange 3, being the only part designedly detachable, the fellyflange 3 may be fixed to' the telly by means of screws circumferentiallyplaced. In such case, the loose felly flange 3 is secured to the folly 2by means of rim bolts P placed at intervals as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,or the whole resilient tire may be removed by withdrawal of the bolts43. Within such rim parts are secured spirally coiled springs 5,transversely disposed, such springs being spaced m pairs Specificationof Letters Patent. t t 29, 1914, Application filed May 16, 1914. SerialNo. 838,969.

equally around the wheel, the parts of any one such pair being mountedso that the outer coil of each spring bears against opposed sides of therim pieces 3 and 3 respect1vely, so that lateral strains or torque tendto find balance between the movements of the springs so opposed. Thesprings 5 are flat spiral springs, that is to say their side edges arearranged in parallel planes, but any other approved form of spring maybe used in carrying out this invention. These transverse springs 5 carryflanged bushes6, through. which bushes the laminated band 7 passes. Thebushes 6 have a rectangular opening through them, the upper and lowersides being beveled or inclined toward a central and parallel seatportion, so as to provide a riding surface or seat for the band 7, andyet allow relative movement of the band to the bushes.

composed ofa plurality of laminations or The band 7 is leaves which aredisposed one upon the other, and are in one method of arranging thelaminations of said band, secured together by rivets 14 traversing theseatings of the bushes 6. This laminated spring band 7 carries betweenits points of support the floating tread housings 8, terminated bypyramidal chairs 9, through which the band 7 is passed and to which itis-secured by means of rivets 11, and a seating washer or plate 10 beingplaced over the band and passing through the walls of the tread housingwhich are perforated to accommodate bcth band and plate. The laminationsof the band 7 are arranged ,end to end in relatively short sections asshown in Fig. 5,. and the rivets 14 of' the bushes '6, a

and 11 of the tread housings 8, pass through the rivet holes 7 ofalternate layers respectively, so that the said layers break joint andare bonded and no break in continuity occurs in any two contiguouslayers radially. A washer 7 is interposed between the ends of eachlamination as shown in section in Figs. 5 and 6. The spring sections orleaves 7 shown in Fig. 5 differ from those shown in Fig. 6 in havinglongitudinal slots 77 in their end portions to lighten them. The numberof laminations, or in other words, the thickness of the band, willdepend upon the load carried, and be in strict proportion therewith, thematerial employed for such .band 7 being a steel, such as is suitablefor mits circumferential distortion to be resisted. The laminations inany one series may be arranged as shown, or in someother equallyconvenient manner so long as relative motion is possible betweencontiguous sections.

Each transverse spring 5 is formed with a talon 5 which is recessed intoa groove 6* in the bush 6, the talon being either left soft or annealedafter the spring is hardened or tempered. The bushes 6 are therebyanchored to the springs 5, and any lateral rotational effect due to roadobstacles on the interspaced tread parts thereby resisted. The treadhousings 8 may be, and preferably are, made as stampings from sheetmetal, which stampings can be made from plate and edge welded to form abox, the tread parts 12 which are of balata, hard rubber, or the like,being secured within the upper retaining portion of the box by screws orsimilar fastening devices. The springs 5 are secured to the rim parts'bymeans of rivets, screws, or the like 5", a plate or washer 13 beingprovided to distribute the anchoring effect.

In operation it will be observed that the tread parts 8 and 12 are infloating relationship to the wheel proper, owing to their disposition onthe band 7, and that since the band 7 is also elastically secured to thewheel through the intermediation of the springs 5, a very considerableresilience is possible between the tread parts and the relatively rigidwheel felly. If this relative movement were possible in the plane of thetread only, a considerable and possibly even destructive transversestrain would be thrown upon the band anchoring when the wheel wassubjected to turning movements, but owing to the fact that the banditself is mounted within and subject to the flexion of the transversesprings 5, there is an even and compensating absorption of lateralstrains which relieves the band 7 and allows the tread parts toaccommodate themselves to road or steering conditions. Again, assumingthat the wheel load causes a definite deflection of the band at point ofroad contact, then the laminations are so disposed and arranged thatrelative movement of the band layers is not prevented, but allowed totake place, the alternate layers having at road contact relativemovement according to deflection. By these means a resilient tire isconstructed that can be made from assembled units, each unit being likeits felly and repeated in sequence around the wheel periphery, thedegree of resilience being a factor that is within the manufacturerspower to control.

It will be observed that whatever deflection or cross strain is placedupon the band at any one point, it is distributed in successivelydiminishing degrees to the laminations on both sides of the deflection,so that those adjacent portions also deflected assist in causing theband to regain its normal shape, after the disturbing influence haspassed, and this effect very materially adds to the resiliency of thetire.

I claim 1. In a resilient tire, the combination, with a wheel rim, ofsprings secured at intervals to the wheel rim, a laminated spring bandformed of a plurality of superposed leaves and supported by the saidsprings and encircling the wheel rim, and tread pieces secured to thespring band between. the said springs.

2. In a resilient tire, the combination, with a wheel rim, of springssecured at intervals to the wheel rim, supporting bushes carried by thesaid springs and provided with holes having tapering end portions, aspring band secured in the middle portions of the said holes andencircling the wheel rim, and tread pieces secured to the spring handbetween the said springs.

3. In a resilient tire, the combination, with a wheel rim, of spiralsprings arranged in pairs andsecured at intervals to the wheel rim, thesprings constituting each pair of springs being secured to oppositesides of the rim and projecting crosswise of it in opposite directions,a spring band supported by the said pairs of springs and enircling thewheel rim, and tread pieces secured to the spring hand between the saidpairs of springs.

41. In a resilient tire, the combination, with a felly, of a wheel rimformed in sections and provided with side flanges, springs secured atintervals against the said flanges and arranged between them, alaminated spring band supported by the said springs and encircling thewheel rim, and tread pieces secured to the spring hand between the saidsprings.

In testimony whereof I a'fliX my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

ERNEST EDWARD nousn.

Witnesses:

IV. E. Rooms, A. H. MATTHEWs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G.

